The Effect of Consumer Attitudes and Beliefs on Sensory Perception and Liking of Chocolate Milk
Open Access
- Author:
- Spahn, Rose
- Area of Honors:
- Food Science
- Degree:
- Bachelor of Science
- Document Type:
- Thesis
- Thesis Supervisors:
- Helene Hopfer, Thesis Supervisor
Federico Miguel Harte, Thesis Honors Advisor - Keywords:
- Sensory
Food Science
Chocolate Milk
Dairy Sciences
Consumer Segmentation - Abstract:
- It is known that beliefs and attitudes towards certain characteristics of food, e.g., fat content and sweetener type, affect sensory perception. Brodock et al. (2021) identified three segments of athletic adults – natural eaters, average consumers, and calorie conscious - that differed in their attitudes towards chocolate milk ingredients in an online survey. Here I aimed to reveal differences in acceptability and sensory perception for two different chocolate milks between two of those segments, the calorie conscious and natural eaters. A group of athletic young adults (n=388) were segmented based on their responses to an online adaptive choice based conjoint analysis (ACBC) survey. Calorie conscious consumers (n=28) preferred chocolate milks with low-calorie sweeteners and low in fat content, while natural eaters (n=68) preferred chocolate milks products made with natural, caloric sweeteners and strongly disliked low-calorie sweeteners. In a subsequent taste test, members of both groups evaluated two commercial low-fat chocolate milks for overall liking, and perceived intensities of creaminess, cocoa flavor, and sweetness. Both low-fat chocolate milks were presented alongside their nutritional label and with either a “This product was made with real sugar” (TruMoo) or a “This product was made with low calorie sweeteners” (CorePower) statement. Several significant differences between the segments and samples were found (p < 0.05): As hypothesized natural eaters (n=34) liked the TruMoo sample significantly more than the calorie conscious (n=16), and while not significant, calorie conscious individuals liked the CorePower chocolate milk more than TruMoo. The calorie conscious segment perceived significantly less creaminess from the TruMoo than the CorePower milk, which could result from a horns effect from negatively associating caloric sweetener with less creaminess. This creaminess rating difference was not hypothesized, but demonstrates the effect that consumer attitudes have on sensory perception of products. Overall, we found that consumer attitudes and beliefs can significantly affect sensory perception and liking of food products.